Gareth Thomas: This statement provides a summary of the proceedings of the Competitiveness Council meeting held in Brussels on 25 February 2008.
	The Council held an exchange of views on the Lisbon reform package and adopted its key issues paper "Turning Challenges into Opportunities", with a view to forwarding it to the spring European Council (SEC) in March 2008.
	Areas of particular focus were the role of the Competitiveness Council in complementing the national reform programmes by meeting the Community level objectives laid down in the Community Lisbon programme, the broad-based innovation strategy and the improvement of the business environment for SMEs through measures like the small business act initiative, better regulation, simplification and the reduction of administrative burdens.
	The UK intervened to support the Council's view that the integrated guidelines for 2008-10 were still valid and to support an evidence-based approach to the Community level objectives. We acknowledged the central role of the Competitiveness Council in pushing forward the Lisbon agenda but stressed the importance of empowering it to examine the impact of all major EU policies on competitiveness—for example, the climate change and energy package and the need to continue to open markets within the EU and beyond. On innovation, the UK pressed for the involvement of member states in the "lead markets" initiative. Finally, we welcomed Vice-President Verheugen's statement that the Small Business Act (SBA) initiative should be a combination of measures, not solely legislative, and emphasised the importance of better regulation, common commencement dates, longer consultation periods and exemptions for SMEs.
	The Council adopted conclusions on the single market review to be forwarded to the SEC in March 2008. Commissioner McCreevy welcomed the positive endorsement and said the follow-up would focus mainly on improving the policy framework, better regulation, policy tools, market monitoring and partnership working, but also on some policy initiatives like the Small Business Act.
	Any other business included a presentation by the Commission of its proposal to reduce the emissions of CO2 from passenger cars and light commercial vehicles which will be discussed at the Environment Council meeting in March 2008. The UK intervened to welcome the proposals but also to highlight its concern about their impact on small and medium sized independent manufacturers and so to support calls for further discussion at the Competitiveness Council in May 2008.
	Under AOB items, the Council also took note of presentations from the Commission on the defence package, the goods package, the consumer and internal market scoreboards, the European clusters conference and memorandum, a strategic report on better regulation, and the climate energy legislative package.

Ruth Kelly: In a statement to the House on 5 July 2005 the then Secretary of State for Transport announced that we were prepared to ensure that up to £200 million a year would be available from the transport innovation fund to support the development of local packages of measures that combine demand management, including road pricing, and better public transport. He also announced that we would make £18 million of pump-priming development funding available to support scheme development.
	So far, 10 areas have benefited from this funding. This has enabled them to analyse their current and emerging congestion issues and consider how demand management could form part of the solution. While we never expected every one of these areas to come forward with formal proposals straight away, I have been greatly encouraged by the work to date and thank those areas who have contributed to the debate. Already proposals have been submitted by Greater Manchester and Cambridgeshire, which we are currently assessing, and I understand that further proposals will be coming forward in the coming year or two.
	We want to give more areas the opportunity to benefit from such packages. Therefore I am extending the commitment to make available up to £200 million a year out to 2018-19, in line with our long-term funding profile for transport. To support the development of business cases we shall be inviting authorities to bid for further pump-priming development funding for 2008 and 2009. We shall also make available development funding to areas that have submitted business cases to contribute to continued development during the assessment process and, where appropriate, for preparatory costsincurred after programme entry. Guidance on bidding for this funding is being published today. Copies of the guidance are available from the Department for Transport (DfT) web site and in the Library of the House.
	Meanwhile, my officials are working closely with officials from Greater Manchester and Cambridgeshire and we will announce decisions on the proposals as soon as we can. Decisions on congestion TIF business cases will be the responsibility of the Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, Central (Rosie Winterton).
	I am also publishing today to the Library of the House, and on the DfT website, the results of a feasibility study which explores where advanced signalling and traffic management systems could best be used on congested parts of the motorway network, and the associated environmental, safety and enforcement considerations.